Houston Texans’ CJ Stroud Surprises Veteran with Lovely Gesture
CJ Stroud is one of the bright spots for the Houston Texans this season. His debut NFL campaign saw him lead a Texans team with little to no expectations into a divisional-round loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
However, the Ohio State product isn’t only a standout football player on the field; he’s also a kind person based on his most recent activity with a veteran.
Houston Texans’ CJ Stroud sends Purple Heart veteran to Super Bowl LVIII
According to ABC13’s Adam Winkler, Stroud is sending Sgt. Craig Mazeska and his son to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVII as part of a Salute to Service ticket giveaway. He’ll also be spending time with the two of them in Super Bowl-related activities as well as simply hanging out.
Stroud explains the importance of doing something like this to the media:
“Beyond football, my family is one of the most influential parts of my life,” Stroud said in a statement provided to ABC13. “I especially appreciate the lessons learned from my loved ones who have served in the military. Like some in my family, Marine Corps veteran Sgt. Craig Mazeska selflessly served our country, so I’m honored to join USAA and the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) to send Sgt. Mazeska and his son to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, where I look forward to meeting them.”
Stroud is the runaway candidate to win Offensive Rookie of Year after the debut campaign he’s shown. Through 15 games, he managed to complete 64% of his passes for 4108 yards and 23 TDs. He also led the league in yards gained per game played at 273.9.
Stroud clears the air on NBC backlash
NBC got a lot of backlash from fans after cutting out the Houston Texans QB’s mention of Jesus from their social media post, only including the city of Houston in it.
However, the young QB was quick to turn down the heat and remind everyone to be more compassionate.
He had this to say about the issue, as written by FOX News’ Ryan Gaydos:
“I love everybody. Christ has called us to love one another and just shine a light,” he told Fox News Digital. “That comes from Him. I really just really want to show that love and just really want people to experience my experience with finding Christ for you all and having that relationship with Him.”
“I just really want to show love and show people what I stand for. I pray for everybody, and I don’t really have any feeling toward it. I just pray for everyone.”
Stroud bowed out of the playoffs to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, throwing for 175 yards on a 58% completion clip.
With the way the young man’s been carrying himself, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a beloved athlete in the NFL.
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Ryans, Texans have lots of capital and draft picks
HOUSTON — Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is proud of his team’s accomplishments in Year 1 under his leadership.
He helped turn around a franchise coming off three wins and led it to the divisional round of the playoffs and to its first AFC South title since 2019, but Ryans is also realistic. He knows that anything can change from year to year in the NFL, and the Texans have to “earn it again next year.”
“Moving into the future and next year, we like where we are with the young nucleus of guys that we have,” Ryans said. “I feel like we have a good group to build off of, and you still have to add more pieces. You’re always adding and always looking to acquire talent and get better, and that’s where we’ll look to spend our offseason. Who can we find to help us get better.”
The Texans finished the regular season 10-7 and topped the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round of the playoffs before falling to the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was a big part of that. He led the league in passing yards per game (274) for qualified quarterbacks and his 4,108 passing yards are the third most ever for a rookie. He also became the first rookie since the merger to lead the league in touchdown-interception ratio (23-5).
Next, general manager Nick Caserio and Ryans intend to take the organization to the next level with key offseason acquisitions.
“We’ll continue to support [Stroud], surround him with the right people to help him reach his potential,” Ryans said. “The better he can get each and every single day, we’ll continue to help C.J. along. But it helps most when a player has that drive, he has that inner will [and] spirit to continue to get better. That’s the only thing that matters. When you have the right mindset — no matter what happens — he’ll continue to get better.”
The Texans have roughly $61.86 million in projected cap space, the fourth most according to Roster Management System. But they have many impending free agents on both sides of the ball who started at least 10 games. The defense had the second-most snaps (5,271) from players in a contract year, per ESPN Stats & Information.
Defensive end Jonathan Greenard, tight end Dalton Schultz, running back Devin Singletary, wide receiver Noah Brown, cornerback Steven Nelson, right tackle George Fant, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and their linebacker duo of Blake Cashman and Denzel Perryman top the list of free-agent starters.
Greenard was tied for 10th in sacks (12.5) in the NFL and had the No. 6 pass rush win rate (22.4%). Nelson’s four interceptions were second on the team, as were his 12 passes defensed. He also returned an interception for a touchdown in the wild-card win. Cashman, who earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors with 15 tackles (two for loss) in Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints, led the Texans in tackles with 106.
Singletary ultimately took over as the starter by season’s end and rushed for 819 yards and five touchdowns on 177 carries. He also had the Texans’ three 100-yard games this season.
“Everything I believe in, it starts up front with the rush and also with the offensive line and protecting,” Ryans said. “So, we’ll continue to build with our fronts. Start at the front and build backwards, that’s how I envision it, and [Greenard] had a really great year.”
With Rankins (who had six sacks) and Greenard entering free agency, the Texans will be put into a situation where they will have to see if they want to invest in the duo and compete with the open market.
Greenard would love to return, but following the playoff loss he said “It’s not up to me.”
“They know I love Houston. I definitely would love to come back,” Greenard said. ” At this point, I can’t do much more. … I’m definitely appreciative, if it is the last time [I play for the Texans], of the opportunity Houston gave me.”
The Texans currently have eight picks at their disposal. They traded away this year’s first-round pick to acquire Will Anderson Jr. at Pick 3 in 2023, but they do have the No. 23 pick and an extra fourth-rounder from Cleveland. They will not have have a sixth-round pick, but they do have New Orleans’ seventh-rounder.
“I’m really excited to see how much this team is going to grow,” Stroud said. “Like DeMeco said, we’ve got to find some way to get back to that moment and win that [playoff] game. A lot of experience was made this year, and things like that, so I’m super, super excited for the future.”
